A Visitor
by Little Zee
Summary: When a Visitor appears on the ponderosa, Sue Cartwright's world is turned upside down
1. The Visitor

**Bonanza**

Sue was just finishing grooming the horses in the barn, when the visitors pulled in to the yard. Seeing them from the barn doorway Sue turns to her brother.

"Adam who's that?"

Adam looked up from where he was polishing the saddle "not sure" he said walking to the door "I didn't think we were expecting anyone." Adam went over to great them. Sue stood and watched she wasn't a shy person, but for some reason she wasn't sure about these people. The lady looked nice with her long brown hair trailing down her back, and her pale face with the slight rouge of her cheeks. And the man who had his hair combed back in a way that looked like a younger version of her father. So what was it that made her not trust them? Seeing the couple go in to the house with Adam Sue decided to make an appearance. Taking a deep breath she went to the house and entered.

"Ah Sue, I'd like you to meet Dorothy and William Smith" Ben happily introduced the visitors.

"Nice to meet you, if I knew we had visitors I would of changed" Sue said politely `maybe` she thought. She still wasn't sure of these people.

"Dorothy and William are here to work on the school board; Mr Smith will be your school teacher" Ben explained.

Terror ran through her body `a new teacher? Miss Shepard was ok. Even if we did pull a lot of pranks, she was ok`

Seeing as the guests were in deep conversation with her pa, Sue slipped away quietly to her room. `How am I going to get Miss Shepard to stay? ` She thought `I need to tell the other kids.` looking out her window she saw her friends coming down the road. Sue hurried to great them.

"Really? I didn't know Miss Shepard was leaving!" said Jenny

"Nor did I" followed Beth

"I don't trust these people" Sue said the concern in her voice was finding it hard to hide.

"Look out adults approaching" Beth warned

The kids stood up from where they were sitting on the fence as the visitors and Ben walk towards them.

"Sue Dorothy and William are going to be our guests for dinner tonight, I'm going to escort them to town. Would you like to come?"

"No thank you pa"

"Very well, I will take you to the hotel. See you later boy, Sue mind your brothers." Ben said as he rode out of the yard.

"Ok this is the plan" Sue announced squatting on the ground, picking up a

nearby stick. Using the stick she maped out thee ponderosa. "Let the other kids

know the news. I'll find out as much as I can at dinner tonight. Then everyone

will meet at the club house at 8:00"

"You sure 8:00 will be ok, you might not have enough time?" asked Jenny

"Alright 8:30 we can discuss what's happening then come up with a plan. Plus

we'll all be back by bed time."

"What about chores?" asked Beth

"Bribe your siblings, do what it takes, we must meet tonight!"


	2. The Dinner

Sue looked in to the mirror fidgeting with the hem of her dress. She never really liked the feel of dresses. Her friends were right she wanted to be more like her brothers and wear pants. But this dress was bought by her father recently and Adam advised her to wear it. She hated it! The white frills made of lace, the long sleeves that clutched to her skin, the tightness of the dress. The only thing she did like about it was that it was blue. Brushing her hair for the tenth time she decided to leave it down like she normally does.

A knock came followed by her pa's voice.

"Come in Pa" Sue answered straitening the dress

Ben stopped short as soon as he entered the room, seeing his daughter in the dress he had picked out made him so proud of her. She looked beautiful. If only he could remember who her mother was, as Sue was left on his doorstep one day with a picture and a note with just her name and birth date. He never did know if he was the father, but he took her in and raised her as his own.

"Pa" the voice of his daughter pulled Ben out of his fantasy world. "Are the guests here?"

"Yes, yes they are and you look lovely."

"Thank you"

Entering the big room where Dorothy was in deep conversation with Adam and William was talking to Hoss about chickens. Hop-Sing announced that dinner was ready.

`Show time` thought Sue `time to find out what's really going on.`

"I've lived in Texas all my life, when I was 18 I meet a rancher. I planned to travel with him, but then he disappeared. Left my heart broken he did. Looking for the stupid dream of his."

"Do you have children?" Sue asked getting board of the conversation but trying hard to show interest.

"Er… no why do you ask? Do you want a play mate?"

Seeing the look that her pa gave her Sue tried to think carefully about what she was going to say next. "No just seeing a lady such as yourself with a husband I would of thought you would have had a child of your own."

Before William could say anything Dorothy had carried on the conversation with Ben. Sue had noticed this and fortunately for her so had Adam.

"William how did find yourself in Virginia City?" Adam asked sensing that some secrets were hiding behind the couple.

"Well" William started happy that someone was taking an interest in him. "I meet Dorothy in Texas where I was working as a shop clerk, and she told me about…"

"William" Dorothy interrupted

"We might as well tell them, it's what we came for after all."


	3. Getting to know

"I can't believe it!" Adam exclaimed

"Me neither" gasped Hoss

"But why this long?" Adam asked

"Ten years is a long time" Hoss declared

"Why did you just leave her on someone's doorstep?" asked Joe

"I've waited so long to see you ma" Sue said in amazement that her mother had turned up.

"I'd like to talk to Dorothy in privet" Ben indicated to his children for them to leave the big room.

After William, Sue and her brothers left the room, Ben offered Dorothy a chair by the fire whiles he sat in his. "Could you repeat what you said from the beginning?"

"The beginning of what I said at dinner or the beginning of the whole story?"

"The whole story"

"Well" Dorothy started "it started when I met you ten years ago. You was mopping about something and needed some company and I was there. We must have drunk too much that night; I woke up in the hotel room in the same bed as you. You was still asleep so I got up and left. Nine months later I gave birth to Sue"

"Why did you leave Sue on my doorstep?"

"I had no money, I couldn't afford a child, so one night I came and left her on your doorstep planning to come back for her when I had enough money."

"But ten years, why now?"

"She's my child too Ben, you're not going to keep her from me are you?"

"Of course not" replied Ben `something's not right` he thought.

Meanwhile on the porch outside Sue and Joe were trying to listen at the window where pa's desk was. Not that they could hear much as the adults were the other side of the room. Sitting in the wooden chairs was Adam and William.

"So William you don't sound like you're from Texas"

"I'm not I was born and grew up in New York, I worked at then docks at one point. My brother moved down to Texas and I followed him."

"How did you meet Dorothy?" asked Adam

"She was working in a saloon as a saloon girl, I was having a drink and we got talking."

Adam notices Sue walking to the yard entrance. "Where are you going Sue?"

"I'll be back by 9:30 Adam"

"Tell me where you're going!"

"Just meeting someone" Sue called as she ran off down the road.


	4. The Search for Answers

"What made you leave me?" Sue asked her mother who were both at the carrel watching the horses.

"I had no money; I was struggling to find food for myself let alone a new born. Now I have money and a house you can have everything now."

"But I have everything here."

"Except for a mother. Have you ever had something that you wanted to talk about but you couldn't tell the boys?"

"I suppose so"

"Come with me Sue, we have such a pretty house, and garden. The town is much nicer than here."

"I'm not sure ma, what about pa and my brothers?"

"Sue, Ben's not your father!"

"Then who is?"

Silence filled the air as Sue's question was carried on the wind across the ponderosa. The two ladies were not aware of the three onlookers who had heard the last part of the conversation, all three of them where thinking of the same thing that their little sister was. `It's time to search for answers.`

Adam was riding the dusty road to town on the hunt for his sister. Sue was acting more and more unlike her lately, but then the Smiths had thrown them all. She had already fought with Hoss and himself. On entering town Adam saw Sue riding towards him.

`darnbernit` Sue thought as the familiar I'm in trouble feeling came over her.

"What you doing Sue?"

"Getting answers" Sue replies handing Adam a piece of paper.

"You got your answers then?" Adam said after reading the paper, finally understanding why Sue kept sneaking off to town.

"Some" Sue sighed "But there is still things that the Smiths are hiding."

Adam had to agree with her, they were all very puzzled to the Smiths sudden appearance especially 10 years late.

"Adam, do you ever miss being a kid?"

"Sometimes, yes. Race you back to the house" Adam called suddenly feeling like a kid again. Sue's face light up as they raced to the house, knowing Adam could take off the emotionless mask he normally wears.


	5. Enraging the Storm

"Do we have to do this Dorothy?" William whispered even though they were far from the house and approaching the open road.

"Of course we do! If we have the kid we get the money, we need the money Will."

"We have plenty of money, plus Ben is her father he loves her so much."

"I don't even know if Ben is the father, I slept with many men around that time. I was a saloon girl I did anything for money. She was a result of a drunken night and a bit on the side." Tossing her head to the back of the wagon to indicate she was referring to Sue, who they had bundled in the back and speed off before she could yell.

A silent tear slid down Sue's cheek as she listened to the conversation, `what are they going to do with me? Who's giving the money to them?` Sue thought. `Whatever happens, I have to find the truth. `

"She's not in the house!" Joe shouted running down the stairs to the great room.

"Not in the barn" Hoss sighed entering the house.

"They took her!" the words slid out of Adam's mouth as if escaping the cluster of his mind.

The atmosphere that filled the Cartwright house once they found that The Smith's and Sue had disappeared was a mixture of anger, hurt, worry and confusion.

"We need to get to Texas" Joe hurried to get his coat and about to go and ready his horse.

"We don't even know if they are heading to Texas, even if they were Texas is a big state." Ben pointed out "I'm going to tell Sheriff Coffee" he added.


	6. Tell Me Something

Sue was being shown round the house, it consisted of two bedrooms, the main bedroom had a double brass bed, a sky blue quilt and curtains to match. The smaller bedroom was kited out with a flower quilt and curtains. The wardrobe was already filled with a wide range of dresses, different styles and different colours, day dresses and Sunday best.

`Looks like they were definitely expecting a little girl to come back with them` thought Sue.

"Get changed in to a pretty dress dear, your grandma is coming round." Dorothy said leaving Sue alone in the bedroom.

`Great` Sue thought `now I've got to be more girl like.` opening the wardrobe she browsed the dresses, finding a blue one that pa would of approved on for greeting guests she put it on. Finding a hairbrush on the dresser she brushes her long hair and ties it in a ponytail with a blue ribbon.

"Mother this is my daughter Sue, Sue this is your grandma."

"Nice to meet you" Sue said polity

"It's nice to meet you too. Where have you been hiding all these years?"

"Nowhere ma'am" Sue replied confused at the question.

"What she means is"

"Oh Dorothy you still haven't learnt to not interrupted people, come on Sue lets go for a walk and get to know each other"

Cautiously Sue walked with the older woman that was presenter to her as her grandma.

"So Sue where have you been all these years?" the older women asked

"Nevada" Sue replied being careful not to reveal her actual location

"It must have been terrible in that orphanage"

"Orphanage! Look grandma I don't think your daughter has been truthful to you. I lived in Nevada with my pa and brothers, ma and William suddenly turn up and take me in the middle of the night. I overheard them talk about money."

"So you could go to collage"

"No, it's not about wanting a daughter, it's about wanting money"

"Are you lying?"

"I don't lie!"

Sue was packing a small bag when William walked in. she had packed 2 plain blue dresses, a light green dress and the money that the older woman had given her even though Sue had protested.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You have a hoe here and money"

"It's not about the money William it's about love and security. I have 3 brothers and a pa who would do anything for me; I'm going back to them."

"But what about your mother?"

"William, do you really think ma loves you or just wants your money?" picking up the bag she packed she turns to William "you know that Peggy is awfully sweet on you." Sue walked out the room and headed for the stairs. Sue was right and William knew it.

"Wait!" William rushed out the room and stopped Sue on the stairs "good luck"

"You to" Sue smiled, she held her hand out and exchanged a handshake with William, then Sue went on her way and William went and packed. William knew that Peggy always wanted to go to New York, plus he missed his parents, on approaching the front door he took of his wedding ring and placed it on the side cabinet, picked up his hat and went to sweep Peggy off her feet.


End file.
